Mixed emotions at firefighter promotions

WORCESTER — It was a bittersweet moment Monday afternoon as Fire Chief Gerard A. Dio watched Capt. John P. Powers get sworn in as the department's newest district chief in a promotions ceremony at City Hall.

"You look at your career over time, and every promotion, if you decided to go that route," Chief Dio said. "It requires a lot of time and commitment not only of yourself, but of your family."

Success comes from that support, but it also comes from the support of the people you work with, he said, adding that it's a particularly happy moment to see a colleague succeed partly because of your involvement.

"Cliff DeCourcy was like that," Chief Dio said, referring to the longtime district chief who died last month after 41 years with the department. With Monday's promotion, District Chief Powers will fill his position, and District Chief DeCourcy would have been so proud, the chief said.

"That's the way he was," the chief said. "And that's the way we are."

District Chief Powers said it means a lot to be promoted to district chief; it's a lot of work and a lot of studying. He said he was glad to be promoted with four other lieutenants who were elevated to captain Monday: Gary J. Arpin, John Dawidczyk, Peter Lemieux and Andrew White.

"I've worked with all of them," District Chief Powers said.

Chief Dio said after the ceremony that District Chief DeCourcy knew and liked District Chief Powers, and said he was sure District Chief DeCourcy would be happy that he was taking over.

District Chief DeCourcy wasn't the only loss on the minds of firefighters Monday. The 19 firefighters who died in Arizona Sunday were battling a type of fire that Worcester firefighters never see, but the deaths still resonated with them.

"It's unfathomable, really, to comprehend 19 guys all at once like that," Worcester Deputy Chief John Sullivan said. "It will take generations to overcome this kind of a tragedy."

Worcester has lost seven firefighters in fires since 1999, including six in that year's Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire.

Worcester crews primarily fight building fires, and it's hard to conceive of what the hotshot fire crew in Arizona was facing, Deputy Chief Gardell said.

"It's something that we're not into at all," he said. "We don't train in the types of firefighting they were doing," although he said the higher ranks of the department studied it.

"I couldn't even imagine what kind of predicament they got themselves in," he said, adding that perhaps the wind changed. His understanding was that the Arizona firefighters' last attempt to stay alive — digging a hole and covering themselves with a fire-resistant material — has a less than 50 percent chance of working. The fire "has to move over them very quickly" for the individual to survive, he said.

"It's unfortunate. Very sad," he said. "Those guys, from what I understand, were a very elite crew."

The local firefighters union often arranges for Worcester representatives at firefighter memorial events. Local 1009 President John Dwyer said after Monday's promotion ceremony that city firefighters would likely send a contingent, but because of the magnitude of the loss, it may take time to work out logistical details.

Chief Dio said he felt sorry for the chief of the department in Arizona; he said he couldn't imagine how he would deal with the sorrow of the families and the community.

"It's better off taking one day at a time when that happens," he said.

At the chiefs level, the department usually follows the lead of the Maryland-based National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, a nonprofit that sets up response teams. "If they need any assistance ... we'd be happy to help," Deputy Chief Sullivan said.

District Chief Powers, a 23-year veteran of the department, said 19 firefighters are too many to lose.

"I saw that, and it just hits you right in the heart," he said.

Contact Jacqueline Reis via email at jreis@telegram.com and follow her on Twitter @JackieReisTG. Contact Steven H. Foskett Jr. at sfoskett@telegram.com and follow him on Twitter @SteveFoskettTG

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